


Bruce Banner Finds A Friend

by DragonWannabe



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Banner finds friends, Gen, What is dialogue ?, i think it's IM3 compliant, theres no actual dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 01:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2047371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonWannabe/pseuds/DragonWannabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Bruce becomes friends with Tony Stark, isn't hated by the world, and accidentally joins the Mile High Club without having sex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruce Banner Finds A Friend

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at one in the morning. I have nothing more to say.
> 
> Please do not copy/repost this without my permission.

After the Invasion, Bruce is surprised that SHIELD doesn't have the Army breaking down their doors looking for him. He is even more surprised when Tony Stark invited him to live in the Tower after he remodeled the Hulk's Loki Dent. 

More than anything, though, he is astonished by the fact that the world wasn't clamoring for his head, because the last time he was in New York, he _wrecked_ it. He was stunned that they counted the Hulk in the group of heroes that Tony convinced the media to call the Avengers. 

They ask Stark where the rest of the Avengers are, who is the Hulk, is Thor really a god, to which the billionaire replies, not a clue, my savior, and with that hair? I hope not. 

Bruce stays for a while, because Tony asked him to, and it's a relief that someone isn't afraid of him, of what he is, after they find out. He introduces Bruce to Pepper, and the first thing she does is hug him, thank him, and she's not scared of him either. She puts him on Stark Industries payroll as a scientist, despite his protests to being paid for not actually doing anything for SI. He doesn't see a need, he's not paying rent, but she insists and Tony tells him he won't win and if he wants he can just donate it to charity. 

Bruce and Tony work in the labs and the workshop, they create vaccines and new clothing that would fit the Hulk. Tony helps Bruce relax a little, he provides all the equipment the doctor could ever need, and at first he feels guilty. He feels like he's using Tony, and he's not quite sure how to repay him. 

When he asks Pepper she says to let him continue, it's the only way he knows to show he cares, to provide for everything he can. He asks how he can show his thanks, to her and Tony, and for her, make sure he and Tony are fed regularly and get enough sleep (he doesn't point out that sometimes he's the one that loses track of time). For him, be his friend, keep him company. 

He can do that. Bruce makes food that he learned in his travels around the world, how to make curry, galinhada, and yassa. He learns that Tony enjoys spicy food, but only when he doesn't feel the need to eat quickly. When they're in his workshop, and he's working on a new equation that had the potential to increase repulsor power by thirty percent, Bruce realizes that he needs to start bringing snack food that Tony can eat without feeling like his mouth is going to be lit on fire. 

He remembers how to make briouat, and Tony loves it. 

When Tony asks why he makes food all the time, Bruce shrugs, because he doesn't want to say that's how he earns his keep, so he says something about having a real kitchen and New York's markets and feeling inspired. 

He talks Tony through panic attacks, teaching him the breathing exercises he uses to help with the Other Guy. He explains how to help to Pepper. 

Bruce is aware Tony's having nightmares, he used to avoid sleep, and he knows how it can manifest. He tries to convince Tony that it will get better but the inventor ignores him, throwing himself into the suits.

Bruce is happy, and he's not constantly fearing that someone is going to figure out who he is and turn him in. He doesn't constantly feel like he's in danger, and the Other Guy is content. The first time he hears an explosion followed by JARVIS's request for assistance, the Other Guy tries to come out, and Bruce breathes deeply and tries to keep his heart rate down as he steps into the elevator. 

Tony is fine, hardly more than a couple of scratches and a few bruises. The proof that Tony is fine calms the doctor's inner turmoil, and his heart slows down as he disinfects and places band aids over the cuts. 

He stays until he hears rumors, passed on by Agent Romanoff, that the Army is looming over his shoulder, that people are looking for him, and he knows he has to leave again, because he can't, he _can't_ risk Tony and Pepper to that madman. 

Tony gives him a solar powered phone, and makes Bruce promise to pick up whenever he calls. He says it's untraceable, except, of course, for him, that he programmed all of the Avengers and Pepper and Jane Foster's numbers in there. He flies Bruce out to East Africa, with a large supply of vaccines, telling the doctor to call him when he or someone else needed more. The inventor calls almost once a week, and they discuss the suit, the climate, does he or anyone he knows need any more medicine (and the answer is almost always yes). They talk about Pepper, and how she is, how the stock market is doing. Tony rants about how Fury won't let him have legal access to all of SHIELD's files (legal, because they all know Tony can get them if he really wants to.) 

When Tony doesn't call for two weeks at first Bruce is disappointed, but attempts to reassure himself that his friend is just busy, that he's probably working on a suit upgrade that's taking a few weeks to complete. He still has enough medicine to take care of the village he's staying in for a month. 

But two weeks becomes four and Bruce realizes how much he looked forward to their talks, to discussing how their lives were going. Another three days pass and before he can stop himself he's calling Pepper to ask if Tony's okay. When she doesn't pick up he calls Steve Rogers, who tells him that Tony's Malibu mansion fell into the ocean, and it seemed to be done by terrorists.

Steve tells him that no one had heard from Tony for a month, and that makes Bruce worry, because he's not the type to not tell someone. 

But it's not like he can get on a commercial airline and get back to the United States to look for him, Ross is still looking, and he can't risk harming civilians. 

He keeps calling Tony, hoping that he'll pick up this time. After a few failed calls he tries Pepper, who is just as unreachable. He can feel the Other Guy getting antsy and it's a constant loop feeding itself. He spends more time breathing slowly than he would care to admit.

Four weeks, three days turns into six weeks, six days and eight weeks and finally ( _finally!_ ) Tony calls him back. He apologizes for not answering, and that he'll fly a chopper out to Bruce's location to take him to the capital. The doctor protests, saying he can get there on his own, before Tony tells him he's already sent it, and he's on a jet to Addis Ababa. 

This silences the physicist, who begins to gather his belongings. Tony says he will explain in person, why he's been out of contact for two months, and the more Tony speaks the more the Other Guy relaxes. He has been packed for a little over an hour before he hears the helicopter, and the villagers all come out to see it. Bruce blushes, a large white STARK is clearly visible on the side of the otherwise black aircraft. He lets himself be teased about having good friends by his neighbors, who wish him well. 

They land in a private airstrip a few miles outside of Addis Ababa and Bruce is ushered to another aircraft, only this one is occupied by Tony himself. He hugs his friend, and the Other Guy is content because his friend is alive. 

Tony explains Extremis, he explains the Mandarin, the ruined house and why Pepper wouldn't answer his calls. He's horrified to learn she has been experimented on, he knows only too well what that's like, but he's told she's okay except for the whole fire thing. 

By the end, Tony is obviously struggling to stay awake, and Bruce finds himself in a similar predicament. Tony drags the physicist to a bedroom before pushing him down onto the bed and crawling under the sheets. He tells Bruce it will be a long day when they get back, that he's more than welcome to sleep, and so he joins Tony. 

It's the best rest he's had in months.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you see any major typos/grammar mistakes. Any and all comments/criticisms are welcome!
> 
> Come find me at Wintersoldger.tumblr.com


End file.
